Self-centering coupler carrier



Nov. 8, 1932.

2 Sheets-Sheet l H. E. MUCHNIC SELF GENTERING COUPLER CARRIER Filed June 27, 1929 Nov, 8, 1932. H. E. MucHNlc SELF CENTERING COUPLER CARRIER 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed June 27, 1929 llo Patented Nov. 8, 1932 UNITED HENRY E. MUCHNIC, OF ATCHISON, KANSAS SELF-CENTERING COUPLER CARRIER Application filed J une 27, 1 929. Serial No. 374,002.

My invention relates t'o means whereby the couplers of railroad cars are non-frictionally supported in place in a manner which will induce the automatic centering of the couplers, relative to the longitudinal axis of the cars, through the action of gravity when the sidewise pulling strains on the couplers have been relieved.

VMy invention, in its specilic form, involves a one piece casting or striking plate provided with a suitable opening therethrough to receive the shank of the coupler aswell as a suitable carry iron on which the coup-ler shank is mounted; while the carry iron is supported in the casting by anti-friction means whose relation with the casting is such that the carry iron with the coupler will automatically return to center position, as will be readily apparent from the detailed description of the drawings, wherein- Fignre l shows the lower portion of one end of a railroad car with itsend sill provided with my improved striking plate or casting and the coupler carrier which are illustrated in elevation, with the coupler shank 'in section.

Fioure 2 is a sectional elevation of my invention.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the oiiset line 3 3 of Figure 2 and lookingin the direction ofthe arrows. 'i

Figure 4 is a perspective view of my improved carrier employed in the construction shown in Figure 2.

VFigure 5 is a view similar to Figure l illustrating the application in elevation of a modified form of my invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the modilied form of the invention shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 7-7 of'Figure 6 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the iniproved carrier shown in Figure 6, as viewed from the bottom.

In the exemplification of the invention as disclosed in the first i'our ligures of the drawings, a one piece striking' plate or casting is shown at 14 having a flange l5 at top which enables the striking plate or casting to be secured to the end sill 16 of thecar by rivets or otherwise. The striking plate or castinv' is formed so as to pro-vide a large opening 17 therethrough.

The striking plate or casting is of comparative width or thickness, with suitable rigidi- Vfying surfaces or ribs, as at 18, and the sides formed with extensions as at 19 and 2O to provide and receive suitable brackets for supporting the various steam and air lines or pipes. For the sake of clarity in the drawings, the coupler head has been omitted; the coupler shank being shown in section at 21 in its normal centered position and supported by the carry iron or member 22 shown inperspective in Figure 4. The coupler carrier 22 comprises an elongated block having a dished or cupped top so as to provide the well 23 having side walls; the carrier being also provided with the upstanding corner portions 24, see Figure 4. The corner portions 24 are spaced apart sufficiently to permit the coupler shank 2l to extend therebetween transversely of the carrier 22, as shown in Figure 2.

Intermediate of the corner portions or posts 24 at each end of the carrier and adjacent to the end walls of the well on the upper face of the carrier, the latter is provided with the sockei'ed or channeled lugs 25 which are preferably arranged` within the planes of the inner faces of the corner posts 24 at each end of the carrier so as not to interfere with the coupler shank 2l.

ln the particular exempliication, these lugs 25 are each provided with a pair of semicircular sockets or channels 26 adapted to receive the ends of a pair of rollers 27, 27, see Figure 3, on which the coupler shank 21 rests.

Endwise movement of the rollers 27, 27 is prevented by the end walls 280il the carrier iron 22; at the same time the depth of the well or depression in the top face of the carrier 22 and the semi-circular sockets 26 are so formed that free'rotation of the rollers 27, 27 is permitted; the depression or well 23 being such as to hold a lubricant in which the rollers 27, 27 will be partially immersed.

The rollers 27, 27 provide antifriction bearings for the longitudinal or in-and-out movement of the coupler shank and thus eliminate the wear that has been encountered through such movement nf the coupler shank in constructions as heretofore employed.

The striking plate or casting 14 is of width, at least at bottom, sufficient to receive the carry iron 22 between the upstanding transverse walls 28a, see Figures 2 and 3; the Vdistance between the walls 28, 28a being somewhat greater than the transverse width of the V carry iron 22, in order to permit play and free movement of the carry iron as hereinafter described.

The bottom wall 29 of the opening 17 in the striking plate or casting 14 'on its upperI lil) '30, 30 in the striking plate 14.

`31, 31 are intended large rollers 32, 32

face is given the ogee curvature or provided with the undulating surface shown at 30, in Figure 2; While the lower face of the carry iron 22 is formed likewise as shown at 31, 31, to correspond with the undulations or valleys These complementary valleys 30, 30 and to receive the relatively which normally lie in the valleys as shown in Figure 2 and normally extend in a direction lengthwise of the coupler shank 21. n

The transverse width of the valleys is somewhat greater than the distance between the lower flared end walls 28 of the carry iron 22 and the side walls of the'openi'ng 17 in the striking plate or casting 14 with the result that the rollers 32, 32 will at no time yride or roll upwardly out of the valleys during oscillatory movements of the coupler shank.

In operation, it is apparent that the coupler shank is free to move in-and-out on the rollers 27 27 without subjecting-the coupler shank and the striking plate or casting to the usual frictional wear; while at the same time oscillatory movement of the coupler shank, during movement of coupled cars about a bend or curve in the track, is permitted by the carry iron 22 riding on the rollers 32, 32; andif the rollers 32, 32 are caused to move with the carry iron 22, during lateral movement of the coupler shank, they would ride upwardly on the sides of the valleys` It is obvious that as soon as the sidewise pull on the coupler is released, gravity will induce the rollers 32, 32 to roll back to the bottom of the valelys 30, 30 and therefore also move the carry iron 22 and the -coupler shank back to the normal centered osition shown in Figure 2.

IVith the bottom wall of the striking plate or casting provided with the transverse walls 2,8, 28, it is apparent that endwise movement of the rollers 32, 32. is impossible, while at the same time movement of the carry iron 22 lengthwise of the coupler shank will be prevented.

In Figures 5 to 8, inclusive, I illustrate a modified form of my invention. The striking plate or casting 33 is substantially identical with the striking plate or casting 14, except that the transverse walls 34 at the bottom of the opening 17 in the striking plate or casting need not be of the vertical height of walls 28'L shown in Figures 2 and 3, because of the operative. relation between the elements on which the coupler shank 21 is superp'osed.

In this construction, the coupler shank is supported by a carry iron 35 somewhat in the nature of a rectangular block having the upstanding ends or corner portions 36 with the upstanding portions at opposite ends spaced apart sufficiently to receive the coupler shank 21 therebetween as shown in Figure 6. The

upper surface yof the coupler supporting iron cr carrier 35 may be similar in construction to that disclosed in Figure 4 so as to receive the rollers 27, 27 extending lengthwise of the carry iron and therefore transversely of the coupler shank 21; the rollers. 27, as previously stated, provide anti-friction bearing for the coupler shank and permit free reciprocatory or in-and-out movement of the coupler shank.

The bottom of the carry iron 35 has the two side walls 37 extending downwardly beneath the bottom'proper of the carry iron so as to provide a pocket or socket adapted to receive the main portions of the rollers 38 therein and allow said rollers to freely rotate without contact of the main portions of the rollers with 4 the bottom of the carry iron. The depending side walls of the carry iron are shown provided with two pairs of sockets 39 which are adapted to receive the trunnions 40y of the rollers 38. With the construction, as more clearly shown in Figure 7, it is apparent that the carry iron with its superposed coupler shank will be entirely supported on the trunnions or hubs 40 of the rollers 38.

The bottom wall of the opening 17 through the casting 33, like the casting 14 in Figure 2, is made undulated, as shown at 30, in order to provide a valley on each side of the vertical axis of the casting, in which a roller 38 normally rests.

With this construction, like with the previously described construction, lateral or sidewise oscillatory movement of the coupler shank 21 will cause the carry iron 35-y to move in the same direction therewith, and induce the rollers 38 to roll on the inclined sides of the valleys, with the res-ult that as soon asv the sidewise pull on the coupler has been relieved, gravity will induce the rollers with the superposed parts to move back toward the bottom of the valleys, namely to the normal centered position of the coupler shank in the striking casting and therefore at the median line of the car', as sho'wn'in Figurev 6. y

Withthemain portions of the rollers disposed between the depending walls 37 of the carry iron and disposed between the upstanding walls 34 of the striking plate or Casting at the bottom, it is apparent that endwise movement of the rollers 38 is impossible and at the same time movement of the carry iron 35 in a direction lengthwise of the coupler shank is also impossible.

With both constructions shown and described, the coupler carry irons are self-centering and frictional wear induced through the movement of the coupler shank is eliminated.

I have shown and described the carry iron provided with a pair of rollers on its upper face for the reoiprocatory or in-and-out movement of the coupler shank and have shown the carry irons mounted on a pair of rollers, but it is apparent that one or a greater number of rollers may be employed in both instances; it being understood that the length of the valleys in which the rollers ride are preferably greater than the distance between the ends of the carry iron when in normal center position and the side walls of the openings 17 in the striking plate or casting so that at no time can the rollers ride up entirely out of the valleys.

I have described the specific exemplitications of my invention in terms employed merely as terms of description and not as terms of limitation, as structural modications may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

lVhat I claim is:

A coupler carrier comprising, in combination with a striking casting having an opening therethrough to receive a coupler-shank, the bottom surface of the opening being concaved on opposite sides of the vertical center; a lubricant holding coupler carrying block arranged in the opening and having upstanding` walls and corner portions disposed above said walls to receive the coupler-shank there between, the inner faces of the end walls having sockets beneath the tops of the walls, the walls of the block also depending beneath the main bottom of the block and the depending portions of the side walls having sockets on their lower perimeters; coupler-shank bearing rollers seated in the Sockets of the upstanding end walls; and rollers provided with tapered trunnions adapted to seat in the sockets of the depending side wall portions, With the relation between the size of said last mentioned rollers and the depth orp said last mentioned sockets such that the block is wholly supported on the trunnions while the rollers ride on the concaved bottom surface of the striking casting.

HENRY E. MUCHNIC. 

